Next Step
by Salaphina
Summary: Harry picked up a new friend on the way back from his Uncle's oh so loving home. Everyone is surprised at first, especially after the reveling of certain uh...anatomy? But could she be the key to moving the war forward. Is she the key to the next step?
1. New Allies, New Deaths

**/A.N./** Okay, I know this is weak of me but I can't help it. In this fic, Sirius isn't dead. I know! It bad of me but I love him! I don't want him dead. Please just bare with me and my eccentric tendencies.

I'm a dog person, what can I say?

Quote: War may sometimes be a necessary evil. But no matter how necessary, it is always an evil, never a good. We will not learn how to live together in peace by killing each other's children. **Jimmy Carter **

* * *

**Next Step**

**Chapter One: New Allies, New Deaths**

By Salaphina

* * *

Ron and Hermione sat in the afternoon tea room on the east side of the house. The order had moved back in to the Black family mansion shortly after the end of the last school years on Harry's request. He had wanted them there so that they could still have a safe meeting place even though Dumbledore was no longer around. And of course they were staying there because they knew instinctively that Harry would come there first before going to Godric's Hollow where he was supposed to be meeting them. Especially since he had left his uncles house before the set time and left them in the dust.

Two weeks ago they had went to his uncle's house to meet him only to find out from his uncle that he had left in the middle of the night just a few hours before they arrived. When they went ahead to Godric's Hollow they found he was not yet there and had a feeling that he wasn't going to be there for some time.

So they waited, irritated, for him to show up at Sirius's family home.

And he did. Eventually. He really did take his time about it, though. Two weeks is a long time to keep people in the dark about these kinds of things, really.

So it wasn't totally unthinkable that when he did show up they were so busy welcoming him that they didn't notice right away that he had brought a tag-a-longer with him. Until, of course, both Mrs. Weasley and Ginny asked, "_Who's she?" _

At the time the entire Weasley clan was in the room. They had come to visit and for sure if they could make it to Bill's wedding the next day. And right then Mr. Weasley, the twins, Charley, Bill and Fleur were looking in interest at the darkly tanned, green eyed, exotic looking girl in the doorway. While Ginny and Mrs. Weasley looked on in dreading horror.

He looked at the girl standing behind him and made a motion for her to step forward. She put her head down realizing she was attracting attention and shrunk back further.

Harry just rolled his eyes and reached back to grab her arm.

"Everybody, this is Amai, Amai this is everybody. You should be able to tell which is which with as much as I have told you about them." The girl gave a tiny nod when he looked at her but kept her head to the ground. He rolled his eyes again and let her arm go.

She stood for a moment alone, not sure what to do. It gave everyone in the room time to get a good look at her. She had long, dark, black hair that came down to the tops of her thighs. Her eyes were green but they weren't normal, they were darker than any green they had seen before but also brighter, like neon lights with dark green paint over them. Like the ones seen at Halloween or Christmas around muggle houses. Her skin was spattered with freckles but they were drowned out by the dark tan she had. She had long fingernails and slender, nimble hands. She was fairly tall and gave the impression that she was lean but no one in the room could really tell.

Because, oddly enough, she was wearing a large, long overcoat. And in the middle of the summer too.

Tonks, every willing to be helpful, came forward, stumbling a bit, to ask, "Would you like to hang your coat up? I will put it in the closet for you if you like." She raised her eyebrows at the girl and smiled when she looked up. Amai quickly looked back down and shook her head.

Now Harry looked worried. "I told you that you didn't have to worry here. They're my friends. They'll understand." His brow scrunched up and he took a step forward when she hesitated. But then she started to move toward Tonks and out in to the hall ahead of her. Tonks threw a hopeful look at Harry and shrugged before fallowing. Harry nodded and turned to look at the rooms occupants. Realizing for the first time how many of them were there.

"Hi everybody, not late for the wedding am I?" He asked Bill.

Bill, always in good spirits, shook his head and said, "Nah, you made it just in time…"

"WHO IS SHE?"

Everyone in the room looked at Ginny who looked ready to tear off Harry's head being calmed by a similarly irritated Mrs. Weasley.

Harry just grinned, not at all bothered by their reaction, and said, "You'll see." And walked out in to the hall.

The room practically started buzzing when he stepped out.

Everyone was suddenly asking Hermione if he had mentioned he was bringing anyone with him.

"No, he hasn't said anything at all. In fact he was being unnecessarily cryptic. Wasn't he Ron?" But when they looked at him they saw he was wearing a very guilty look.

A look that told everyone he knew something.

The twins jumped on him immediately. "Who is she? Where is she from? Does her name mean anything?" This noisy reaction wouldn't have been out of the ordinary if they had not been silent two minutes ago. What everyone hadn't realized was that they had been to busy watching Harry's new friend to be noisy.

Ron got a strained expression on his face and said, "All I know is that she's a hunter. She was tracking someone and crossed paths with Harry in Godric's Hollow."

Hermione, who was already upset at being kept out of the loop said, "He was in Godric's Hollow and you didn't tell me? I thought we agreed to go meet him when we found out where he was?"

Ron looked sheepish. "He asked me not to tell you because he didn't want us to meet with him yet. Said he had things to take care of. I thought I would let him finish what ever it was first. The guy has a right to do some things on his own you know."

Hermione looked miffed. "I know that but we agreed. You should have told me."

"He asked me not to tell. I wasn't going to go around telling things that I didn't even know the whole story about, anyway."

She looked slightly mollified at the thought that he didn't want to spread false information.

Then Harry came back in with Amai in tow. Tonks had a slightly shocked expression on her face. It was the same expression that everyone in the room adopted when Amai walked back in with a stone faced expression ant walked right over to sit on the couch next to Sirius.

Oh, but it wasn't her look that surprised them. It was her wings. That's right, wings. Her wings that if measured would have had a fourteen foot span. The feathers glistened even in the dim candle light. They were a dark purple and brown with a golden sheen when the light hit them.

And she was very lean. In a strong, but feminine way.

Soon every person in the room with the exception of Amai and Tonks who was trying to get the girl to talk to her or even look at her was watching Harry.

"Amai is not a wizard, as you have probably figured out by now. She is a harpy. Or," He rolled his eyes again. "A branch breed of harpy."

Even though it was small all of them saw Amai nod.

Harry saw it too and waited for her to take up the explanation.

She noticed and went red but aside from putting her head down didn't refuse. "My family is from the Mediterranean like the harpies from legend but unlike them we were not created by the gods. In fact, we were what the gods modeled their harpies after. Of course we are not as ugly as they are." She scrunched up her nose. "Well, we aren't anymore. At the time we were under a curse of the goddess Circe. Anyway, I'm part bird."

This last part she said while looking them straight in the eye.

"I met Harry in Godric's Hollow. I was tracking a man there…"

"So you are a hunter." This statement came from Lupin sitting on the other side of Tonks.

She looked confused. "No. I am a tracker. I track magic, artifacts, relics, locations. Anything to do with magic really, I am good at identifying power signatures. But at the time I just happen to be after a man. The same man that you guys are after."

This brought silence. And many confused looks. Not that Amai noticed with her head back in its position pointed at the ground.

Charlie asked, a bit hesitant, "You're after you-know-who?"

She looked up at him with an expression that said he was out of his mind. "No. I am after the Soulless One."

"Who?" Was the collective response.

She sighed and said, "Your, Lord Voldemort, I believe?"

The reactions were predictable all around. Some gasped, some flinched, Harry rolled his eyes again and Amai put her head back down at the alarming reactions.

Tonks, who was being motherly all of a sudden (probably because Molly was showing an uncharacteristic disliking of the girl and she was clearly having a hard enough time without Molly's cold shoulder), was rubbing the girls back, trying to calm her down. "Why are you after him?"

"He killed my clan."


	2. New Friends, New Leads

**/A.N./ **I have always wanted to do a story about harpies but not those creatures that were in the Greek stories so I tweaked them a little.

Quote: War is a cowardly escape from the problems of peace.

**Thomas Mann**

* * *

**Next Step**

**Chapter One: New Friends, New Leads**

By Salaphina

* * *

"He killed…" 

"My clan, yes, he did. Because we wouldn't join him."

Understanding looks went all around. They knew Voldemort wasn't kind to those who defied him. Even if they weren't under his control to begin with.

Harry picked up from here. "You see, the harpies have amazing powers. There very strong too. Almost nothing can defend against them. In fact, Amai only knew of two. Unicorn blood and pixie wings. When put in the right potions this can disable them but even that can't kill them."

"It surprised us all when the Soulless One killed my father. Somehow he used my father's power against him. You see, power differs with the person in our clan but my family has had a pretty steady flow of dark users."

"Dark users?" Hermione was fascinated by the story. There had been very little reading in the Hogwarts library about creatures like the one sitting across from her.

"Yes. Most in my clan have power over an element, not always, but most. Light, fire, earth and stone are the most common. Water, ice, wind, darkness are the least common. In fact I think that my family is the only one to put out a steady flow of dark users. Then of course there are the random ones that are irregular but sometimes pop up a lot in families with no certain element. Like electricity, sound, physics like telekinesis and mind-readers, scryers, impaths, healers and things."

"What do you have," asked the twins. This new comer had them enthralled. Everything about her fascinated them. She was beautiful, exotic, and powerful and chances were that they could get a hold of a couple of her feathers, they could be used for experiments.

"Well," she hesitated. "I have a couple of things actually." She was shrinking away again but oddly this time it was toward Tonks. "It's one of the reasons I survived. Many of my clan didn't, but most of those who did are like me. Multitalented I guess you would call us. And usually are powers are very different from that of our family. That's way I am a tracker. Because our powers are different they are usually stronger too. So we get picked for the high level positions. See, I know a girl; she is a really good friend of mine and is also one of the survivors. Her family is _famous_ for their strong light users. But she is an even stronger telekinetic and healer. My brother, the only one in my family to survive besides me, he's my twin and he has completely opposite powers I do but he's are just as strong. That's why I am here and why it is my duty to avenge my clan."

They all sat silently, taking that in.

Then Charlie asked, "Why do you call them your clan? Aren't they your family?"

She blushed, surprising all of them. "Well, we are encouraged to mate within the clan. So calling them my family seems kind of incestuous."

That certainly wasn't what they had expected to hear. And it caused Mr. Weasley to chock on his tea.

Harry sighed. He knew that Ginny would not be happy he had showed up with a girl in tow but that he could deal with but if everyone started think Amai's family inbred, weird thoughts might pop up. So he cut it off at the pass.

"Well, anyway I brought her here because we can be mutually beneficial to each other." This caught everyone's attention.

"How?' Lupin asked. "I'll admit it would be nice to have others on our team besides wizards particularly beings so powerful. But how can her being her move things along?"

Harry leaned closer and asked, "Did you not hear her? She can track magic. Locations included. That means if we give her something to go off of she can track down the rest of Voldemort's Horcruxes or help at least." This caused mutterings of interest all around.

Fred turned to her and asked, "Can you really do that?"

She nodded. "It is one of my powers. They call it _runa discru_. It's a type of scrying, but I don't have to use mirrors or water to do it, and I can be on the move at the same time. It allows me to sense magic in any form. That's why I was in Godric's Hollow. There is a very concentrated magic residue there. More so than any other I have seen so far. It is right on top of where Harry's parent's house was at the time they were killed. The power of the spell The Soulless One cast and the protection Mrs. Potter left on her son is very powerful. It must have been to have lasted so long. Even thought muggles have built over the site."

Hermione came over and sat next to Amai, getting in close and trying, discreetly to look at her wings which had been folded in to groves along the spine of her back.

Amai noticed and craned her neck to look behind her. "Is something wrong?"

Hermione blushed and looked away. "No nothing. I was just uh…well, I was just…"

Tonks chuckled and said, "I think she would like to see your wings. You can expect things like that form her. She's noisy." Tonks winked.

"I am not! I am just curious."

"Well," Amai hesitated then turned to face Tonks so that her back was toward Hermione and spread her wings a little. "If you want to look, go ahead. Just don't pull on the feathers please."

The twins, who had been rising from their seats, sat back down with groans of disappointment. And Mrs. Weasley, who was now sure that the girl was not going to steal Harry from her daughter, smacked them on the back of their heads as she walked forward.

"I am sorry dear, for my outburst earlier." She looked sheepish and sorry for the way she had acted. "You two have probable had a long trip, can I get you something to eat? You always look son thin Harry, dear."

Harry smirked and said, "You should worry about Amai, not me, she is the one that hasn't eaten in two weeks."

Amai looked sharply at him and glared.

Mrs. Weasley ignored this and started fussing over the girl. "What do you mean two weeks?! How can someone go so long without eating? No wonder your skinny! I'll go make you something right now!" And she rushed out.

Amai however made a swipe at Harry. She missed but barely. It was obvious he had had some practice at it. She growled, actually _growled_. The happy look in the twins' eyes darkened. _Yes, her feathers will do quite nicely in that new potion we're developing. _

Sirius spoke up, he was interested in the girl his godson had brought home. She was beautiful, powerful, and if she could help, she might just ensure that Harry made it through the war.

So he laughed and said, "You look like you have a lot of practice at that Harry. Got a wild one on your hands, huh?" He laughed again as everyone snickered at Amai's resulting blush. Then he turned to Amai and said, "I don't see why you're so mad, it isn't healthy to go that long with out eating. I'm surprised you can still stand."

Lupin then said, with a curious expression, "I believe I read somewhere," at which Sirius ask in a sarcastic voice _"Really?" _that made Lupin look sharply at him and the twins smother another snicker. "That harpies, or bird related magical creature of any sort really, had very particular eating habits."

Amai looked at him in surprise. The girl with the bushy hair had not known anything about her kind and Harry had said that she would be able to tell Amai her whole family history. He did not say that the werewolf mate of the nice woman Tonks was smart as well. But she replied, "Yes we don't eat but two or three times a month. And when we do we eat meat or fruit."

This had both the bushy haired girl and the wolf leaning in closer. "Is that so? What kind of fruits do harpies eat? And do you eat your meat cooked?"

She couldn't help but think, _are they related?_

But she didn't get a chance to answer when Mrs. Weasley came back in wearing a confused and somewhat horrified expression on her face. Before anyone could ask her what the matter was she said, "Snape just …apparation…blood all over the kitchen…unconscious…oh dear." Then promptly passed out.

* * *

Feed back would be much appritiated. :) 


	3. Return of the Traitor

**/A.N./ **Thank you to Stygius.Magic who actually _reviewed._ Ooooo! Review, what a thought! Didn't know it was possible! Not. I just haven't gotten any. Thanks for that by the way.

And I just want to make it clear that Amai isn't being rude when she refers to them as status, species, rank, or age. Keep in mind that this is the way it is done among animals and since she is part bird the same principles apply.

And Harry and Amai met two weeks ago. Give or take a couple of days. Hermione and Ron were supposed to meet him at his uncles house but he left before they arrived. Amai was passing through Godric's Hollow that night when he was there. She had been tracking Voldemort. Since such a big thing happened between them there I thought it was a good place to put her.

And to the harpies, well in my story, all the names have meanings. Just like she thinks about people by titles they names people for their place in life. Just so you know.

* * *

**Next Step**

**Chapter Three: Return of the Traitor**

By Salaphina

* * *

Ginny ran to her mother as Lupin, Sirius, Tonks, Mr. Weasley, Bill, Charlie and Fleur ran past (Mr. Weasley turned sharply at the door and ordered Ron, Hermione and the twins to stay there knowing that his wife would kill him if he let them come) and toward the kitchen.

Ron and the twins had sour looks on their faces but Hermione took it all in stride and went to help Ginny try to revive Mrs. Weasley. They were all so busy worrying about one thing or another that they completely missed a startled Amai and an oddly contemplative Harry, neither of whom had moved from there spots.

Amai had been surprised when the Tonks woman had run away like that. She had been acting so nice then just pushed her off and left. But then if the old mother had acted so rashly it must be for a good reason. She was thinking about what it might be and she didn't notice Harry come up behind her until he said, "Time to meet our ally." And grabbed her elbow before proceeding to drag her to the back of the room. They shortly disappeared into a hall behind the tapestry of the Black family tree.

You see over the summer Harry had left so early from his uncle's house because he had received a package from the late Professor Dumbledore. It explained the circumstances of his death.

And it honestly shouldn't have surprised Harry that the old man was crazy enough to plan his own death.

Yes, you heard right. He planned his own death. And had used it to ensure Snape a safe place among Voldemort's inner circle.

That's why he had to get to Snape before everyone else and make sure they didn't hurt him. As much as he hated Snape he didn't want to lose someone that was so valuable. And of course there was the added bonus of him knowing what he was dealing with and most likely none of the other Death Eaters could take him out easily.

And, of course, when Harry had promised that he wouldn't let those he cared about get killed to protect him anymore he had been deadly serious. H planned on keeping them as far as possible from any death eaters. But he figured that Snape didn't matter as he was not only in this for the soul purpose of saving his own skin but he didn't give a lick about Harry.

He whispered to Amai as they ran down the stairs that came out under the painting just across the hall from the kitchen door. "Snape is a very important person to us if we want to kill Voldemort. Not only does he know the inner workings of the Soulless Ones," Harry had taken to calling him that since Amai had corrected him every time he said Voldemort, proclaiming that his soulless status made him unworthy of a proper name (not that he disagreed)," army he is a formidable wizard. Very powerful and _very_ smart. And he was the only one besides me who knew of Dumbledore's plans and theories." That had been revealed in the package he had received as well.

They burst out into the hall and rushed down the second set of stair into the kitchen. Since the sitting room was on the other side of house and up to floors (as well as the fact that the Order was trying, unsuccessfully, to be quiet) the others had yet to arrive.

When they came into the kitchen Amai was surprised when to see a bloodied man lying on the floor.

Both of them were surprised however to see a malicious, blonde headed man standing over him, wand pointed at his neck.

_Everyone in the room_ was surprised though when Amai let out a sinister growl and pointed a clawed finger at him and practically snarled, "Murderer!"

And Harry was surprised when Lucius Malfoy, Death Eater extraordinaire, actually looked scared. Well, the second before Amai jumped on him that is.

* * *

Lupin was the first of the Order to reach the bottom of the stairs and was highly confused to hear glass breaking. He was almost certain he had heard Molly say that Severus was unconscious. Maybe he had woken up?

Well, in any case it was better that Mr. Weasley had told the children to stay behind.

All of these thoughts flew out the proverbial window when he walked into the kitchen and found Amai trying to get her claws into Lucius Malfoys throat while Harry tried, unsuccessfully, to pull her off and a wounded Snape was pointing his wand at the group yelling at them both to get out of the way. Lupin felt the rest push into the kitchen behind him and knew that they were just as confused as he was.

Luckily Sirius and Tonks had enough mind to run forward and pull off Harry. Amai proved more difficult though as she had gotten her claws in Malfoys hair and was doing her best to separate as much of it as she could from his head. She had gone into a blind rage and didn't come off till Tonks practically pushed her self between them and got a grip where she could force her back. At which point Severus put him to sleep with a well aimed spell.

Then all the adults in the room, except Tonks who was still restraining Amai trying to calm her down, had_ their_ wands pointed at Severus.

Who merely signed and sat down in the nearest chair. As everyone looked on wondering both what Snape was doing here and why they kids were not upstairs Harry then walked over to help, yes help, Snape check his wounds.

Tonks had managed to get Amai to sit down in a chair by the door. As far from Malfoy as possible without leaving the room since she was still eyeing him with a some what murderous gleam in her eye.

Everyone turned to look at her when she started growling "Murderer" under her breath again.

"What are you talking about?" Tonks couldn't help but be worried about the girl. She had only known her a few minutes but she seemed like a nice girl. And then to find her with her, _very_ sharp as Tonks had noticed, claws pointed at someone was a bit of a shock. "Have you met him?"

"He's the one that Soulless bastard sent to kill my clan!"

That one statement sent the whole room silent. But only for a moment. Severus lifted his head from his wound and said. "You must be from the harpy clan the Dark Lord wanted to recruit." He smirked then and let out an amused laugh. "He is going to be angry when he finds out your still alive. Lucius said you had all been eliminated."

"Most of us have." She snarled.

He frowned and his face took on an almost sorrowful look. He opened his mouth but it seemed like he couldn't say anything. He shook his head and looked away.

Oddly that action was the thing that calmed Amai down the most. She looked closely at the supposed 'trader.' His sent was more…regretful than anything else. He didn't seem capable of the thing Harry had told her he'd done. He had killed, yes, she could tell that, but he didn't seem to enjoy it. And his shoulders were weighted down, burdened, by the things he had down. By the lives he had taken. Not like the other thugs of the Soulless One that she had come across before. They had let their maliciousness run away with their sanity.

But she could tell that he was running away not from sanity but from the blood and those who reveled in the spilling of it. She could see, by the lines in his face and the dull light in his eyes that his was desperate. Desperately tired of being alone, on the outside, scorned for doing not what was wrong but what was necessary to ensure everything came out right.

Her mind drifted back to the night her clan was attacked. The aftereffects it had on her brother and her friends. When she had came after the one responsible they had not understood. They had considered themselves defeated, outmatched. Despite the fact that the strongest, the most capable of them remained. They had thought her insane to go after the one that had destroyed them. She snorted, _just goes to show that power and talent have nothing to do with bravery or determination ._

She got up and walked over to the man. Pushing Harry out of the way she looked at the wound in his shoulder. After a moments thought she reached her hand out and put it over the wound. A soft light surrounded it as the skin drew back together and knitted itself.

He looked up at her and asked, "What's your name?"

"Amai."

He looked startled a moment then the corners of his mouth drew up slightly as he said, "Loved."

She knew then that this man would help them fight. And win. Just as Harry had assured her.

Sirius was trying of having his old enemy, the one who had _killed _Dumbledore no less, in his kitchen and not knowing why. "What the hell is going on here? Harry get away from him, he's dangerous!"

Harry rolled his eyes and went to explain to the Order members. When Tonks protested leaving Amai that close to a known killer Harry just raised his eyebrows and said, "After earlier you don't think she can protect herself?"

After that It was pretty easy to herd the rest out.

When Snape spoke to Amai again this time with a look that told her he was sizing her up. "Only the most praised children get such names."

"No. Only the most powerful. The blessed."

"Is that why they sent you to get revenge?"

She scowled. "No, that is why they couldn't stop me."

He nodded, "How many are left?"

She signed and sat in the chair next to him. "Not many. Out of the hundreds that populated our caves the last time the count was done, maybe," she shrugged. "twenty, thirty at best."

"Will any of them be willing to help? It is not like them to sit back and take hits lying down."

She let out a bitter laugh. "No, it's not. But we have never taken this bad a hit."

He nodded again. He had to give her that. "But…"

He didn't get to finish what he was going to say because Tonks came down just then and with a guilty look at Severus, she felt bad about doubting him after finding out the truth, she threw an odd look at Amai and said, "Harry just let in a girl how said she knew you. Her name is Unico?"

Severus made a face. "Lonely? I have never heard that name giving to a harpy child. Maybe an orphaned child?" He had heard sad names given to children who suffered early in life. But when he seen Amai's face he knew he was wrong.

Her face had a scared look and her voice was weak and breathy. "Not the orphaned. The cursed."


	4. Superstitions, Bad Luck Omens

**/A.N./ **I just wanted to mention this just so nobody thinks I blew them off. When I get reviews I reply back to the person who wrote it right? Well, I sometimes get a reply back and even have a conversation with them if we get along. Well, if you wrote back to me after I replied to a review and didn't get a response I want to apologize. The link from the site to my e-mail is screwed up at the moment so I can't send or get messages from anybody.

AND, I keep forgetting to add this, I DO NOT OWN HP. J. K. Rowling does. And she is nice enough to let us write about them.

I thought I might point this out, when I said in the last chapter that Harry doesn't want to use people he cared about in the war that didn't include Amai. He does care about her but since she is not only stronger than most wizards but she was hunting him by herself and is a powerful, _trained_ hunter and she isn't doing this to protect him like all the others who died (his parents, Dumbledore, ect.) he trusts her to protect herself.

* * *

**Next Step**

**Chapter Four: Superstitions, Bad Luck Omens**

By Salaphina

* * *

When Amai walked into the sitting room where the Order members had retreated to she found it unusually quiet. The girl that was now sitting on the couch showed none of Amai's earlier shyness or timidity. She was intimidating if anything. She practically glared at all of them. Daring them to meet her eyes.

And she was dark. But not like Kingsley. Not in any way that was familiar. Or even exotic like Amai. Her darkness was not just skin deep nor deepened by power. She looked as if the darkness clung to her skin or came out from her pores. You could not tell where the darkness ended and where she began. She looked as if she was perpetually standing in a dark alley. The light flinched away from her skin as if to touch her would be to be tainted.

"Unico."

The girl's eyes shot over to Amai and, oddly, softened. The girl looked no older than her, but Amai knew that she had been through enough to age her twenty years. She had been treated with either great hatred or great pity in their clan. Neither of which was appreciated by any of their kind. Amai looked at Unico's neck to see the mark she had been branded with at birth. A curse mark is what it was. The mark of someone destined to either greatly help or hinder the clan. With the odds leaning towards hinder. Hence the unwelcome treatment from their clan members.

Amai had always liked and respected the girl however. She did not dread the meeting for that reason.

No, she dreaded the girl because she had been gone from the clan for years and the only thing that would bring her back was if Amai was in enough trouble that she needed her help. _Desperately. _And she trusted the girl's opinion; she was, after all, one of the greatest foretellers in the last century.

"You're in trouble."

Amai sighed. "So I gathered. That's the reason you're here, isn't it?"

Unico smiled. "Yes, it is." Her smile disappeared. "You made a mistake. A stupid one. You shouldn't have come. You especially shouldn't have joined him." She nodded her head in Harry's direction. His eyes narrowed.

Amai herself didn't very much like that comment. How exactly had she made a mistake? By joining the person that was as determined as she was? Or because he didn't think she was crazy? How exactly were those _bad_ things?

But Unico didn't bother to head her angry looks. She went on, "You know that after what happened the clan, or what is left of it," she said this last part harshly, "is in no state to go to war."

Amai scowled at her, growling viciously, heedless of the gasps from several people in the room. Behind her she heard the werewolf say, "Don't. This between them." As he held back a worried Tonks. "I never said they had to fight! I can do this just as well on my own."

"Well, of course you can," her voice took on a patronizing tone, "because you are _so_ well at controlling your power." She said, referring to the many time Amai had attempted healing in her younger years and ended up causing _more_ damage due to her excess of power. She had an amazing store of power. That's why they couldn't kill her. Her power never ran out. Or near enough to it that her opponent tired first.

She took two steps toward Unico. Unico flinched but didn't move. Only by force of will however. Harry stood ready to make a move if need be. He didn't want to admit it and he certainly wouldn't tell anyone but he knew that if Amai started something the chances of them stopping her were slim. Not only was she physically stronger than them, but even with all of them in the room most likely the only way to stop her would be to kill her. And he didn't want that. The thought made him sick and made breathing painful.

But he knew he didn't have to worry about that, Tonks had been able to pull her off Malfoy. If she got between them again Amai would stop. She was attached to Tonks already. Amai wouldn't hurt her. And even if it came to that, hurting her would be hard. Killing her would be even harder.

"Things have changed since then Unico," she growled out.

Unico smirked, she knew the girl was stronger than she had been the twenty or so years age when she left. Her age had been shy of a hundred then and Amai under fifty. But she knew the girl would be powerful. And she knew it was foolish to try to stop her from doing what she wanted. But the omens were bad. The forces had driven her back to the girl's side, proving that bad things were being set in place. But as much as she wanted to flee, and as quickly as possible she couldn't. She loved this girl. She had been kinder to her than her own family.

But she had to stop her. If she went on like this she could end up dead. And if she decided to go on with it (as she knew she would, her eyes said it all; she was not willing to leave the boy who had given her hope of retribution) she would have to go with her.

As was her duty as Amai's older sister.

* * *

Sorry it is so short but this seemed the perfect place to end it. Do you hate me?

And Amai did say ealier on that none of her family survived but her twin brother but at the time she wasn't expecting to see her sister so she kinda, well, fibbed.

And I didn't want to ruin the surprise! (we will totally overlook the fact that it was a surprise to me too.)


	5. Emotional Scars and Physical Wounds

/A.N/ Just a little emotional bonding between Amai and Unico (and Harry, they just don't know it) before we get to the _real_ action. I know ya'll are just dieing for that.

* * *

**Next Step**

**Chapter Five: Emotional Scars and Physical Wounds**

By Salaphina

* * *

_But she had to stop her. If she went on like this she could end up dead. And if she decided to go on with it (as she knew she would, her eyes said it all; she was not willing to leave the boy who had given her hope of retribution) she would have to go with her. _

_As was her duty as Amai's older sister. _

* * *

At her silence, Amai took another step forward but Unico stepped back for once. She had her head down and, though the others didn't know it, her eyes had tears in them. She knew how this would turn out, and it wasn't pretty. "It's a big risk; it will cause so much pain." The last part was whispered, almost to herself.

Amai had hesitated when Unico had stepped back. "No pain, no gain, right?" Her voice was soft and had an underlying pleading tone to it. She didn't want to cause her sister any pain, but it was necessary. Action must be taken. No matter what the cost.

Unico let out a watery laugh. At the sound of it Amai eyes went wide and she lunged forward and rapped Unico in her arms, her wings out to block the sight of her sister's tears.

Harry got a worried look on his face and stepped up until Amai could see him in the gap between her wings. When he caught her eyes he cocked his head toward the door. She sent him a grateful glance. With her wings still around her sister she helped her up and guided her out into the hallway. The girls fallowed him up the stairs silently, only the sound of Unico's sniffles disrupting the quiet.

On the second floor Harry opened the door to an empty room. Amai led her sister to the bed. Harry stood outside the door but didn't shut it, just in case Amai needed something. Like a sedative.

"Amai," Unico's voice was raspy from all her crying. Her sister shushed her, trying to get her to sleep. "No." She shook her head to accompany that one word. "It's a big risk, and you're right. The others don't have to get involved. But I can't let you do this alone."

"I won't be alone. Just rest, the others need your help more than I do," a complete lie, "you can go help them in the morning."

Unico's eyes were tearing up again. Harry, as much as he appreciated the need for privacy, couldn't help listening in. Unico was an unknown element. As much as Amai seemed to trust her there was no telling was the girl was capable of, and Amai dying was not an option. Amai shushed he sister again then turned to leave. But Unico grabbed her sleeve and said, much to Harry's amazement, "_Sister_, wait! I am going with you! It is my duty to you to protect you."

While Harry couldn't see her he knew by the tone of her voice that her eye had softened and her breath came out in a sigh. "You would say that. Sister." She let out a laugh. "Alright, you can come. But promise me one thing, will you?"

Unico sniffled and Harry was amazed that the strong girl they had seen at first had broken down to such a degree. But then…its war isn't it? That's what war does, it destroys people. Even the strongest of people.

"Promise me that if things go bad, if I …well, die, that you'll go back. Back to the clan, and you'll help them, protect them. Please, will you?" Her voice had taken on a begging quality. Harry had never heard he use that tone, and it broke his heart to hear it. She wanted to her sister to understand her. To understand that the thought of loosing any more family would break her. Harry knew exactly what she felt, having felt it before. Every time some else died to protect him.

"I promise." Harry was sure she was only saying that for the benefit of her sister. He had heard Amai talk several times about the people she knew that had been killed, and the grief of those left. If Unico was anything like her, she wouldn't let the death of her _sister_ go.

But it reassured Amai. Harry could hear the smile in her voice as she said, "Thank you." And walked toward the door, Unico having finally lain down.

When she got to the door she turned and shut it behind her before turning to Harry with a big smile on her face.

And just as Harry went to say something Fred ran up the stairs and said, "We have a problem down stairs. Snape wants to speak with you." Before turning right around and heading back down the stairs, but not without a smile at Amai that had Harry frowning.

* * *

When they reached the bottom of the stairs they followed the noise that drifted out of the sitting room down the hall. When they got there they could not see or hear anything, well anything coherent anyway, the room was a buzz of activity and voices, both loud and whispering.

As Mrs. Weasley pushed through the crowd looking ready to faint for the second time that day they took the chance to get to the front of the crowd.

It seemed that more people had arrived in the time of their absence as well. The room was thick with people. They say Shacklebolt off in a corner listening to Tonks explain about what had happened. Hestia Jones and Oliver Wood, who Charlie had managed to get a hold of and convince to join where by the couch both shooting the crowd odd glances, as if they weren't quite sure what to think of what was happening.

That fact made the two of them all the more curios as to what was happening.

But when they got to the front of the crowd and seen Snape sitting there, letting Remus tend to his wounds they felt sick to their stomachs. Not because he was sitting there, not even because he was sitting there with Remus. Or even because of his extensive wounds. But because of the burned skin. The patch of skin that look like it had been cut off then had the under flesh burned with hot coals.

Right over where his dark mark used to be.

* * *


	6. Cowardly Ways And A Journey Beginning

/A.N./ I know the first part is really sappy and I don't care much for Ginny/Harry pairings but I don't like it when they are mad at each other either. So I resolved Ginny's issues and even made her civil to Amai.

Quote: Mankind must put an end to war, or war will put an end to mankind.

John F. Kennedy

* * *

**Next Step**

**Chapter Six: Cowardly Ways And A Journey Beginning**

By Salaphina

* * *

After she had stumbled out of the room Mrs. Weasley had opted to stay in the hall as whenever she entered the room she started dry heaving. Ginny was with her thinking over the fact that after the first few minutes she felt nothing hostile for the girl her ex obviously cared about.

In fact she felt a lot of pity for the girl. She also knew why Harry had chosen to trust her. They both had lost a lot because of the Dark Lord and deserved the revenge they sought. And despite the fact that Harry had always been a big part of her life, and for a few months even more, she was happy that they each had someone to support them. Because as much as she wanted Voldemort's downfall she had never lost anything personal like they had. And even those who had, never really put all their faith in Harry. But now, even they had only known each other a couple week Ginny could tell they were in this together, all the way. They had complete faith in each other.

She smiled, content that the Boy-Who-Lived-And-Lost-Everything had gained something.

* * *

In the sitting room Amai was listening in on Snape's and Harry's conversation while tending to the cuts and burns on Snape's arm.

"But why did you come here? You should have known that if anyone but us had gotten to you first you would either be dead or in prison right now. Or worse, been kissed."

Amai froze at this statement. _Kissing is a bad thing to these people?_

Snape sneered, "Yes Potter, I know. Trust me, there have been so many people I would have liked to seen kissed that I know, in detail, how exactly that would have been worse. But none the less, it was a necessary risk. Had I not gotten here when I did there wouldn't have been enough time to tell you that the Dark Lord is going-"

Harry's cough-that-might-have-been-an-outraged-snort interrupted him. "Necessary risk? After all the preaching you people have done about risks I never want to here those words out of your mouth again."

Snape glared at him, the important information he was going to hand over forgotten. "May I remind you Potter that we preached because you totally disregarded your importance in this war?"

"A war I can't win unless I am allowed to fight!"

Snape opened his mouth again to say something when Amai smacked Harry over the head. Then he snickered. Well, until she hit him too that is.

"I believe," she said, "That you were going to say something about the Soulless One?"

He shot one more glare in Harry's direction before turning to Amai and saying, "Yes I was going to say that since your clan has refused his offer of alliance he is going to hit the northern tribes in Scotland."

Amai's eye hardened for a few, long moments. "When does he plan to attack?"

Snape met her cold eyes for a few seconds before saying, "Four days from now. He plans to do it at sunset."

Amai snarled. _Sunset? _That cowardly bastard! Attacking when they would be getting settled in for the night. She shouldn't have expected anything better from the lowlife. She spun on her heel and marched for the stairs. In that moment Snape and Harry felt a little sorry for Voldemort. They knew if the raging harpy got a hold of him he would die a slow, pain filled, most likely dismembering death.

Amai raged all the way to the top of the stairs determined to get Unico and leave at once to lend help in the north. But she stopped at the top of the stairs and stared at the door to Unico's room. That girl had enough problems, her visions, the clan, her guilt. She didn't need to be bothered with this right now. _I'll let her sleep for now._

She turned and sat on the top step of the stairs. Harry and Snape were standing at the bottom, staring up at her, waiting to see what she would do. She put her head in her hands. She was so rapped up in her thoughts she didn't notice the door behind her open until Unico put her hand on Amai's shoulder.

Amai looked up to find a sad but determined smile on the older girls face. Unico, physic that she was, knew about the planned attack on the north. And knew there was nothing she could do to stop her sister from going.

"We will go." She said. And that was that, Amai new she didn't have to worry about her sister. Well, no more than she usually did anyway. The war hurt her sister, yes. But it hurt her more to think about what it was doing to Amai to not be able to standing in the way of the madman who was hurt their people. Unico could never understand why the girl had never shirked from the duty the people of her clan had lain upon her shoulders at such a young age. Unico had been appalled when they had announced that, at the age of twenty-seven, they gave her the duty of Guardian of the Clan. A duty much older harpies had been too weak, both in power and mental and emotional stability, to take on.

Because you see, taking on such a duty was not as easy as being made general of an army. Though technically that's what she was. Memories and secrets had to be passed straight for the General to his successor. Along with the memories he had received as well as those his predecessor had received and so on. Some flinched at the things those memories held. The bloody battles and ruthless tactics. But Amai had taken the duty without blinking. When Unico had tried to get her to refuse they had had the first fight between them since Amai had reached adulthood at the age of fifteen.

That was another reason they had wanted her to take the duty. The earlier that a harp got their wings and stopped growing, which was a sign of adulthood, the more powerful they were. And no one could remember anyone coming of age so young. Not even her twin, Cuoro, had reached growth till twenty-two. Unico repressed a bitter laugh. Everyone had told her how lucky she was (or how unlucky Amai was as some had put it) that she was the sister of the _prodigal_. Unico had snorted every time she had heard a person say that. She had thought her sister more gullible than anything. She thought her stupid to be convinced that be put in the position they had given her was an honor.

But it was after the first battle she had seen her fight she knew her sister was not stupid or gullible. But nor was she prodigal. But she _was_ powerful. And she knew what she was doing. She had taken the position because she knew no one else could do it. And she had done it well.

Until now, and that fact was killing her. Now she was willing to die to make up for her mistake.

* * *

It was some time later that they were ready to go. The trip to Northern Scotland was going to take a few days. This could be attributed to the fact that Amai refused to travel by wizard or muggle means. That meant they were all going hiking. Something both Harry and Snape protested to. Unico just giggled in the back ground at the fact they thought they could convince her otherwise.

She was joined in this by both Remus and Tonks. Whoever thought the Boy-Who-Lived and the Death Eater spy would be such wimps?

Tonks hade been asked to go as a precaution. Amai was already very attached to Tonks and if something interfered with their journey they would need her there to help Amai calm down. Remus had been invited along as protection. Both for him and them. Everyone had been surprise, pleasantly so, to be told that Amai's clan had long ago used werewolves as guards. And that they did this in exchange for control. Passed down in her clan was a spell that granted werewolves advantages over wizards and muggles. They were granted their superior strength, heightened senses, and speed for everyday use as well as their monthly transformation being optional. As they were able to transform at will under the influence of the spell there is no need for them to be forced.

After the spell was performed it looked like the weight of the world had been taken of the werewolf's shoulders. His hair was no longer gray, the lines around his eyes were missing, he stood up straighter, he was smiling and his sad eyes were just a little bit happier. Though they got even happier when he noticed that Tonks had a near permanent blush when she was near him.

* * *

Sorry if this is a bit drawn out. Character development is an important thing to me, especially when introducing new characters. But don't worry, the action will start soon! 


End file.
